The present invention relates to a cable clamp for use, for example, in attaching a cable, such as a signal cable for a speed sensor of an anti-lock braking system (ABS), to a workpiece such as a body panel of an automobile.
In attaching a cable, such as a signal cable for a speed sensor of an anti-lock braking system (ABS), to a workpiece such as a body panel of an automobile, a protection member is wrapped around the outer surface of the cable. Then, the cable with the protection member is held by a cable clamp, and the clamp is attached to the body panel.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-069573 (Publication 1) discloses a cable holder for use in wiring an ABS sensor cable from a wheel housing into an engine compartment through a partition wall therebetween. This cable holder is designed to allow the cable to pass through a mounting hole of the partition wall, and then hold the cable without any rotation and axial movement relative to the partition wall.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-120873 (Publication 2) discloses a fastener for attaching an elongated member such as a wire harness to a panel. This fastener has a U-shaped holding portion, a cover portion for closing an opening of the holding portion, and an anchor-leg-shaped anchor adapted to be inserted into a mounting hole of a panel and engageably fixed to the panel. A wire harness or the like is fixed to the fastener by inserting the wire harness or the like into the U-shaped holding portion through the opening, and rotating the cover about a hinge at one end of the cover to bring the other end of the cover into engagement with a latch of the holding portion. Then, the anchor can be inserted into the mounting hole to fix the entire fastener with the wire harness or the like to the panel.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-292591 (Publication 3) discloses an anti-vibration clamp for supporting a tube or the like. This anti-vibration clamp holds an insulator (vibration isolator) made of soft resin material. A tube or the like is put in the clamp, and a cover connected to the clamp through a hinge is closed to hold the tube or the like in the clamp. The anti-vibration clamp includes an anchor adapted to be inserted into a mounting hole of a panel and fixed to the panel so as to allow the tube or the like to be attached to the panel in a vibration-isolation state.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 04-75289 (Publication 4) discloses an anti-vibration clamp having a configuration different from that of Publication 3. In this anti-vibration clamp, an anti-vibration portion for holding a tube or the like is made of soft resin material, and divided into two portions, each holding one-half of the periphery of the outer surface of the tube. One of the divided anti-vibration portions is fixed to a U-shaped holding portion, and the other anti-vibration portion is fixed to a cover connected to the holding portion through a hinge. The anti-vibration clamp includes an anchor adapted to fixed to a panel. When the cover is moved to close an opening of the holding portion, the anti-vibration portions can surroundingly hold the tube or the like, and the tube or the like is attached to the panel through the anti-vibration portions in a vibration isolation state.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-136539 (Publication 5) discloses a holder for holding a cable or tube to a panel or the like. This holder comprises a base including an anchor adapted to be fixed to a panel, and a cover connected to the base through a hinge. A thermoplastic elastomer member is fixed to each of the base and the cover. After the cable or the like is positioned between the respective elastomer members of the base and the cover, the hinged cover is closed to hold the tube or the like in the holder. Then, the anchor of the base can be inserted into a mounting hole of the panel to allow the tube or the like to be attached to the panel under the protection of the elastomer members.
It is undesirably troublesome to wrap a protection member around the outer surface of a cable, and then hold the cable with the protection member by a cable clamp, and then attach the cable clamp to a body panel. Although the cable holder disclosed in Publication 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-69573) is suitable for holding a cable when the cable penetrates a partition wall, it cannot be used to fix a cable to a body panel or the like. The fastener disclosed in Publication 2 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-120873) can be used as a conventional cable clamp for fixing a cable or the like to a body panel or the like. However, that fastener involves the risk of damaging the outer surface of a cable or the like to be held, due to lack of a structure for holding the cable or the like while protecting it from damag. Thus, a troublesome operation of wrapping a protection member around the outer surface of the cable is undesirably required. While the anti-vibration clamp disclosed in Publication 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-292591) includes a structure for protectively holding a tube or the like, it has a relatively low holding force due to a tube or the like being supported by an insulator (vibration-isolation material) made of quite soft material. Therefore, that anti-vibration clamp is not suitable for immovably holding a cable or the like. The anti-vibration clamp disclosed in Publication 4 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 04-75289) includes an anti-vibration portions for protecting a tubular member. However, when the U-shaped holding portion is opened, the cover closing the holding portion is turned to a position substantially parallel to the holding portion. This makes necessary the provision of a large space for widely opening the cover. Thus, the anti-vibration clamp is not suitable for use in a limited space such as a wheel housing or engine compartment. Although the holder disclosed in Publication 5 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-136539) includes a structure for protectively holding a cable or the like, the cover-side elastomer member is fixed to the cover, and in opening of the holding portion the cover is turned over to a position approximately parallel to the holding portion. Thus, the holder is not suitable for use in a limited space such as a wheel housing or engine compartment, due to the need for providing a large space for opening the cover.